Jack Chan, Esq.
APALA-NJ President Elect 2016-2017
Tel: 201.592.0212 / E-mail:
It has been my great privilege to serve APALA-NJ in multiple capacities over the past several years. In 2015, I was the chair of the Solo & Small Firm Committee. I then joined the Executive Board first in the role of Secretary and later as the Vice President of Membership. Now I seek to continue my service for the next two years as President-Elect for 2017-2018 and as President in 2018-2019.
Qualifications:
Professionally, I am a solo practitioner with over sixteen years of experience as a litigator and transactional attorney. I am a graduate of Boston University School of Law and I was law clerk to the Honorable Thomas N. Lyons in the New Jersey Superior Court. As a litigator, I have worked on class action products liability lawsuits, FINRA security arbitrations, and insurance coverage disputes involving construction defect and mass tort claims. My transactional experience includes working on high-value residential and complex multi-million dollar commercial closings.
Goals:
If elected President-Elect, I pledge that APALA-NJ will:
· Grow its Membership: Our members are our lifeblood and I plan to increase our membership with benefits specifically tailored to the needs of our APA attorneys. For example, the vast majority of NJ APA attorneys are solo and small firm practitioners. Yet, these attorneys are only a small percentage of our overall membership. We all have limits on our resources, but solo/small firm attorneys must be especially mindful of where they expend their time and money. I intend to target this population by offering free or low-cost CLE seminars taught by fellow APA attorneys in relevant topic areas such as immigration, real estate closings and municipal practice.
· Grow its Digital Presence: Having a strong digital presence is no longer an option, but a necessity. This past year, we moved toward that goal with our first VP of Communications. I pledge that APALA-NJ will continue to expand its online audience with a revitalized website, continuous and timely updates on social media, and the creation of a email listserv/group chat that will allow members to confer with one another on legal and community issues.
· Grow our Strategic Relationships: We can only remain relevant and influential through assisting and with the assistance of other organizations that share our common interests. So I will continue to foster our relationships with NAPABA, its affiliates and the specialty bars. But my priority is also to develop and expand our relationships with the non-legal community and minority organizations, as well as with the Governor’s office and other elected officials. Moreover, I intend to continue working with our JPAC toward its goal of increasing diversity in our judiciary.
· Growing in Community Outreach: As a volunteer organization, I strongly believe that we must provide opportunities for our members to do just that - volunteer. For example, if anything, this past election has highlighted the importance of voter registration and turnout. If elected, I plan to work with partner organizations so that APALA-NJ members can help to increase voter registration and turnout within the APA community.
I am truly grateful for opportunity to have served this great organization and I hope that you will allow me the opportunity to lead APALA-NJ toward these above goals. I will continue to do everything in my power to promote APALA-NJ and its ideals and I invite you to join me on this endeavor!